Cancer centre breaks ground

HCM CITY (VNS) — Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung attended a ceremony yesterday to mark the start of construction on a cancer centre at Cho Ray Hospital in HCM City.

With a total investment of more than VND428 billion (US$20.3 million) and covering an area of 1,914sq m, the centre will include 14 floors, including two below ground level.

The 250-bed centre will be for the examination, diagnosis and treatment of patients suffering from tumours and cancer.

Speaking at the ceremony, Dung applauded the efforts of hospital staff to treat patients across the country.

He said that building the centre reflected the guidelines and policies of the Vietnamese Party and State to develop the healthcare sector, in particular the examination and treatment of tumour and cancer patients.

Dung urged staff to improve their skills to meet healthcare demands. And the expectations of the Party and State.

He also asked the Ministry of Health to develop programmes that would improve infrastructure, medical equipment and the quality of specialists.

Airport opens

On Saturday, the Prime Minister inaugurated the Phu Quoc International Airport.

The 900ha airport in the island's Duong To commune cost VND16.2 trillion (US$775 million) and can handle 2.6 million passengers a year.

Nguyen Nguyen Hung, chairman of the Airports Corporation of Viet Nam (ACV) — which built the airport – said the airport has a 3,000m runway, eight taxiways, and an apron with eight parking bays.

It also has a cargo and passenger terminal each, a lighting system conforming to International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) standards, an automated weather observation system, and other facilities.

The airport, which replaces the old one in Duong Dong town, is classified as 4E by the ICAO, meaning it is capable of receiving Boeing 777s, Boeing 747-400s, and other large aircraft.

It would enable Phu Quoc to get direct flights from around of the world, Hung said.

He added that 741 households were relocated to acquire 550 hectares for the first stage of the airport.

Speaking at the opening, PM Dung hailed the ACV great effort for the construction of the airport. He called on relevant agencies to develop Phu Quoc into a modern urban area as envisaged by the Government.

He urged the energy sector to speed up work to connect the island with the national power grid to accelerate Phu Quoc's development.

He also urged quick development of a road network on the island, especially the road running around it.

The Mekong Delta gets its second international airport after the one in Can Tho. — VNS